Rail joint



Feb. 17. 1925, v J. M GINNIESS RAIL JOINT Filed May 23, 1924 ATTORNEY WITNESSES Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN MOGINNIESS, OF RIVER ROUGE, MICHIGAN.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed May 23,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MoGINNrnss, a citizen of the United" States, residing at River Rouge, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints (Case 8), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints and is designed as an improvement on, the structure shown and described in Patent No. 1,069,970, issuedto me August 12, 1913 on a rail joint.

The object is to provide a device of this character which is especially adapted for use on a single, track system of railway, particularly interurban electric roads, wherein the cars or trains move in both directions on singletrack, and for this reason the rail joint of the present invention may be termed a two-way joint, though it should be understood that the same may also be used with advantage upon double tracksystems.

Another object is to provide a joint which serves to prevent creeping of the rails upon the ties: in either direction, and which is provided with automatic take-up means for compensating for the wear of the parts where contacting with each other, said takeupmeans being actuated in opposite directions so as not to'be interfered with by the passage of, the wheels uponthe rails, in moving both ways.

A final object is to providea novel bonding means between the ends'of adjacent rails for therpurposc of conducting electric current fromone rail to the other, ass-is necessary in electricsystems.

A f ll and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of thevfollowing detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that while the drawing shows a practical form. of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing there of, but may be changed or modified, so long as, such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims,

In the drawing in which similar reference 1924. Serial No. 715,377.

characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved joint applied to the track.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through the same.

Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the bonding devices used. in connection with the rail joint.

Referring to the drawing there is shown a. rail joint comprising an elongated chair formed of suitable cast metal, said chair havingopposite flange housings 1 and 2 for the reception of the base flanges 3 of the rails The housings have a common bottom extending across the bottom of the rail, and the same are provided with spaced anti creeping flanges at which are adapted to bear against opposite faces of railway ties and prevent the device from longitudinal movement, and to prevent such movement intl'ic rails except such as may be caused by expansion and contraction throughthe influence of atmospheric changes. A longitudi nal web P connects the said flanges along the bottom of the chair.

Extending upwardly from the housings 1 and Q-respectively, areside walls 5 and 6, each as high as the under surfaces of the ball or head 7 of the rail, the wall 5 being relatively close to the web 8 of the rail though spaced therefrom to provide a chamher 9, the upper end of said wall being beveled and fitting beneath the under face of the ball 7 and serving to support the same. Said wall 5 is further provided with spaced sockets 10 located along the horizontal cen .t'er line thereof and opposite the elongated slots 11 formed in the webS of the rail as is customary tota-keca're of the expansion and contraction of said rail or rails.

The other wall 6, which is located at the outer side. of the rail is spaceda greater distance from the web of the rail, and the inner corner edge at the top thereof normally contactswith the adjacent lower cor nor of the ball 7 so as to prevent water or moisture from entering within the chair.

The wall 6 is provided along its inner face with a longitudinal runway gradually narrowing from each end thereof to the central point, thus providing double inclined seats 12 for the reception of spaced, oppositely disposed wedges 13, which bear against the outerface of a [ish plate 1%, having upper and lower enlarged beads on the inner face thereof which bear respectively beneath the ball of the rail and upon the adjacent flange 3 thereof to support the ball, and which provides a chamber 15 on that side of the web of the rail.

The fish plate 1 1 is provided with apertures 16 which are adapted to receivethe outer ends of pins 17, the latter passing through the aforesaid slots 11 and having their opposite ends seated in the sockets 10. The transverse pins serve to secure the chair to the rail sections to prevent creeping of the rails except to the extent allowed by the length of the slots, as the flanges d of the chair which abut against the ties as before stated, prevent such movement.

Bonding elements, in the form of coiled springs 18 have a portion of their lengths wrapped around the innermost pair of transverse pins 17 and for the remainder of their lengths extend respectively along the longitudinal chambers 9 and 15 to points adjacent to the opposite inner pin 17,. the coils of the spring contacting with the walls defining said chambers and serving to positively conduct electric current from one rail to the other and which will permit of the said expansion and contraction of the latter without becoming bro ten or deranged.

The wedges 13 are provided at their outer ends, which project beyond the ends of the chair, with outstanding arms 19 to which are connected rods 20 which slidably pass through alined openings 21 formed in the outer flanges 4, and have their inner ends surrounded by coiled springs 22 hearing at one end against the face of the said flange, and at the other end against nuts and washeI's 23 mounted on the ends of the rods and adjustable to increase the tension on said springs. The tendency of the springs is to pull the wedges further into the runways, and cause the fish plate to be crowded in towards the rail so as to compensate for the wear of the contacting parts caused by the heavy usage to which the device is subjected by the passing traflic over the road.

The flanges 4; are also provided with other alined apertures outside of the apertures21 for the reception of a pintle rod 2 1 ,to which is hinged an arcuate cover or housing 25 which may be swung into covering relation to the rods and springs to protect the same from the rusting and corroding action of drippings from cars or rain. etc., and accumulations of dirt whichmight interfere with the operation of the same.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply manufactured and strong and durable device of this character has been provided which will efl'ectually join two rail sections without the use of bolts, that the same is protected from the weather and that automatic means has been incorporated for constantly taking care of the wear of the parts as well as means for conducting the current from one rail to the other without depending upon the chair itself, said means permitting the natural expansion and contraction of the rails without the danger of breaking or becoming deranged, the said automatic feature being designed to function with traflic moving in either direction.

That is claimed is 1. A rail joint including a chair adapted to embrace the abutting ends of the rails. ,aid chair comprising a bottom wall and spaced integral side walls, transverse flanges carried by the chair and adapted to abut the ties to prevent longitudinal movement of the chair, one of the side walls being spaced from the webs of the rails and provided on its inner face with a double inclined runway, oppositely tapered wedges slidable longitudinally in said runway, a fish plate abutting the inner exposed faces of the wedges, oppositely movable, alined rods slidably mounted in the transverse flanges and connected at their outer ends to the wedges, and springs mounted on the rods so as to force the wedges towards each other to cause the fish plate to bind the rail totalre up wear. 1

2. A rail joint including a chair adapted to embrace the abutting ends of the rails. said chair comprising a bottom wall and spaced integral side walls, transverse flanges carried by the chair and adapted to abut the ties to prevent longitudinal movement of the chair. said rails having transverse slots through the webs thereof. sockets formed in one side wall opposite the slots. the opposite side wall being spaced from the said webs and having oppositely inclined runways, oppositely tapered wedges mounted in the runways, means. for pulling the wedges towards each other, a fish plate. adapted to be forced inwardly toward the rail webs by the wedges, and having openings opposite the said slots, pins mounted in the sockets and openings and extending through the slots, and coiled springs having one end wrapped about one of the pins adjacent to the joint of the rails, said springs being bent to extend longitudinally one between the side wall. having the sockets and the adjacent face of the webs and the other between the fish plate and said webs to conduct electric current from one rail to the other.

3. A rail joint including a chair comprising a bottom wall and upstanding side-walls joined thereto by outstanding rail flange housings, one side wall bearing beneath the ball of the rail and spaced from the web thereof and having spaced sockets corresponding to the expansion slots in the web of the rail, the other side wall being spaced from the web so as not to support the ball and having a longitudinal runway tapered inwardly from each end, a fish plate between the last named side wall and the web and spaced from the latter and having apertures corresponding to the expansion slots, transverse pins traversing the alined openings, coiled conductor springs surrounding the innermost pair of pins and extending longitudinally in the spaces at each side of the web to carry current from one rail to the other, and spring-pressed wedges mounted in the runway to hold the parts together and to automatically take up wear.

l. A rail joint including a chair comprising a bottom and side walls surrounding the lower portions of two adjoining rails, one of said side walls contacting with and supporting the ball of the rail and spaced from the web thereof, the other side wall being spaced farther from the web and having tapered runways, a fish plate interposed between the last named side wall and the web in spaced relation to the latter and contacting with and supporting the ball, transverse pins having their ends seated in the first-named side wall and the fish plate respectively and traversing the expansion slots in the webs of the rails, coiled springs each having one end surrounding the innermost pin on one side of the joint and then bent at right angles to traverse the space at one side of the web to a point beyond said joint, the coils contacting respectively with the web and the side wall and with the web and the fish plate to bond the rails for conducting electric current, tapered wedges mounted in the runways and bearing against the fish plate, and means for automatically forcing the wedges in to take up wear.

A rail joint including a chair comprising a bottom and side walls surrounding the lower portions of two adjoining rails, one of said side walls contacting with and supporting the ball of the rail and spaced from the web thereof, the other side wall being spaced farther from the web and having tapered runways, a fish plate interposed between the last named side wall and the web in spaced relation to the latter and contacting with and supporting the ball, transverse flanges formed integrally with the chair and extending across the bottom and up the sides thereof, a lower longitudinal web joining the flanges along the bottom, said flanges having alined openings at one side of the chair, spaced oppositely disposed wedges mounted in the runways and hearing against the fish plate, outstanding heads carried by the wedges, separate rods connected to the heads and having independent slidable hearings in the innermost alined openings in said flanges, separate coiled springs surrounding the free ends of the rods and bearing at their outer ends against the flanges, nuts on the ends of the rods for tensioning the springs, a rod secured in the outer alined openings of the flanges, and an arcuate cover hinged to the said rod and adapted to be swung into covering relation to the tension springs.

6. A rail joint including a chair comprising a bottom and side walls surrounding the lower portions of two adjoining rails, one of said side walls contacting with and supporting the ball of the rail and spaced from the web thereof, the other side wall being spaced farther from the web and having ta pered runways, the walls of said runways being farther from the web of the rail at the ends of the side wall than at their meeting point at the center of the wall, oppositely tapered wedges mounted in the runways, a fish plate bearing against the wedges and adapted to be forced thereby into contact with the lower face of the ball and the flange of the rail, and springs for exerting a constant pull inwardly on the wedges to take up wear.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

JOHN MGGINNIESS. 

